Supervision Expectations

Supervision is defined as a contractual relationship in which a counsellor supervisor engages with a supervisee, where the supervisor signs a log and evaluation. The purposes of supervision are to increase competency, promote the professional growth of the supervisee, enhance the supervisees’ safe and effective use of self in the therapeutic relationship, discuss the direction of therapy, and safeguard the welfare of the client.

These are the requirements for supervision which came into effect with the release of the Continuous Competency Development Plan. 

1. Required Supervision:
   1. RTCc/ACc (Candidate) applicants are required to have accumulated a minimum of 50 hours of direct client contact, and 25 hours of supervision with a qualified supervisor achieved during pre-graduation or post graduation. This can be group or individual supervision hours. RTCc/ACc members are required to complete minimum requirements for RTC status within two years of becoming a candidate.
   2. RTC/AC applicants are required to have accumulated a minimum of 200 hours of direct client contact and 50 hours of supervision with a qualified supervisor achieved during pre-graduation or post graduation. This can be group or individual supervision hours.
   3. Both RTC/ACs and RTCc/ACcs are required to receive a minimum of 10 hours of supervision per year throughout their professional career (a minimum of 100 hours of supervision are required to advance to an MTC).
   4. MTC applicants are required to have been an accredited counselling professional for at least five years, with a minimum of 1,000 hours of DCC accumulated as well as 100 hours of supervision with a qualified supervisor achieved during pre-graduation or post graduation. 50% of these hours must be individual or dyadic supervision.  
   5. MTCs are required to receive a minimum of 10 hours of supervision per year throughout their professional career. 
   6. RCS applicants are required to have accumulated a minimum of 1000 hours of direct client contact and 150 hours of supervision with a qualified supervisor during pre-graduation or post graduation Direct Client Contact. 50% of these hours must be individual or dyadic supervision. In addition, RCS applicants are required to have completed an approved 30 hour supervisor training program and five years experience as a practicing counsellor. 
   7. RCSs are required to receive a minimum of 10 hours of supervision per year throughout their professional career. RCS can utilize reciprocal supervision to satisfy their yearly supervision requirements.
2. Logging Supervision Hours: 
   1. Initial supervision hours logs are to be submitted with the ACCT Membership application.
   2. Thereafter supervision hours are logged annually using the Annual Competency Development Report at renewal time.
3. Supervision Evaluations:
   1. All RTCs are required to receive supervision evaluations. MTCs and RCSs are not required to receive supervision evaluations. ACCT does not require copies of Supervision Evaluations but reserves the right to ask a member to submit them. However, it is recommended that supervisees keep these, in case they are required to provide them at a later date by the proposed BC College of Counselling Therapist.
   2. As per ACCT Supervisor Code of Ethics, all Supervisors are expected to keep Supervisee’s Evaluation for up to 7 years.
4. Tracking Hours:
   1. All ACCT counsellors are required to track their accumulated client and supervision hours.
   2. All ACCT counsellors are required to keep an up-to-date log of these hours for their own records.
   3. These hours can be tracked using the Yearly Direct Contact and Currency Hours Tracking Log.
5. Allowable Types of Supervision:
   1. Individual and Dyadic Supervision: involves 1 supervisor to 1 supervisee, or 1 supervisor to 2 supervisees.
   2. Group Supervision: involves a minimum of 1 supervisor to a maximum of 8 supervisees, is formal and structured; and includes an evaluation component, at least one group member must meet ACCT's criteria for Supervisors (a counsellor with a minimum of five years of experience in the practice of counselling). PLEASE NOTE: Informal “peer supervision” i.e. unstructured discussion of clients with colleagues, is not considered an acceptable form of supervision.
   3. Student Practicum Supervision: occurs as a student or in a practicum, where the hours are logged as part of the curriculum, or where an instructor or supervisor signs a log and evaluation. (This does not include all practicum hours, only the hours of supervision received for the practicum.)
   4. Supervision received during employment when the ACCT member is/or has been employed in the capacity of a counsellor.

Note: For members, who are no longer able to contact previous supervisors or employment supervision providers please contact ACCT for further instructions.

The foundation of ACCT is set on a competency-based framework. Professional practice is an essential component of competency. Professional development, supervision and self-care are important ways to verify the competency standards of ACCT members. All ACCT members are required to complete professional development and supervision as part of their professional practices.  It is essential that RTC/ACs entering the counselling profession, MTCs continually expanding their scope of practice and RCS' who are providing supervision services attain supervision and professional development annually. Government-approved regulations have set the industry trend in Canada to include professional development and supervision as mandatory professional practices of competent counsellors.

ACCT members are encouraged to choose Registered Counselling Supervisors (RCS). RCSs adhere to the principles in the ACCT Code of Ethics for Supervisors.

The ACCT Registered Counselling Supervisor (RCS) designation, while recommended, is not required in order for a supervisor to be approved for ACCT members.

Requirements for Non-RCS Supervisors:

• Be a Master Therapeutic Counsellor (MTC) and meet all the requirements of an ACCT RCS.
• Adhere to the ACCT Code of Ethics for Supervisors.

OR 

• Be a supervisor who is not a member of ACCT who meets all the requirements of an ACCT RCS. 

• Accept and work within ACCT’s Supervisor Code of Ethics and ACCT’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.